Thanks for the advice, I ended up with just getting the regular flooded lead battery from Sam's, was planning on getting the AGM battery there, but they were out of stock and I didn't feel like driving all around town. It's working good enough for now,

 

If you stay around town mostly it's all you need anyway. I like the portable power pack jumps at Costco/Sams for like $50. Works well.

 

Probably will throw a battery charger in our camping gear next to the generator, we do a lot of camping, sometimes with a generator, most without though, I've had several booster packs that finally by the time I need them they didn't hold a charge either, but they don't take much room and are a little more insurance just in case

 

Hey all,

I'm new to JK Forum and couldn't figure out how to start a new thread. Could anyone help guide me on that?

Also, I'm looking to install a light bar and winch, however, a friend mentioned adding a dual battery kit. What are y'all thoughts on that? Is it necessary? Any pros and cons of the dual battery system? Do I need it or can I get by with my current stock battery?

 

To start a new thread, from the forum you wish to start the thread in click "forum tools" at the top.

Regarding a dual battery system, I think that for most people they are way more trouble then they are worth. A good AGM battery will work fine with a winch. The stock flooded battery will work, but not as well as a quality AGM type. The only "con" with an AGM is cost. A dual battery has some additional cons like weight and potentially screwing up the installation.

There are pros and cons to everything -- The pros are always easy to find, the cons are much harder. Take the winch and light bar for example: blocks air flow to the radiator (potential overheating), weight in the front can make the front sit too low, improper installation of winch wiring can start a fire or blow up a battery. There are ways to mitigate risk, and I'm only bringing all this up because you sound new to all this. The all too common pattern to avoid is adding stuff that you don't really need and getting problems instead that never were apparent at the beginning.

 

Installing a winch and lights is not sufficient reason to have a dual-battery setup. And I'm a fan of dual-batteries- having them in both my JT (as of day before yesterday) and JK. But I've been in situations where a battery failed and it was over 600 miles to the next place to buy a battery (up in the Arctic Circle). Self jump start was very convenient. I also use a lot of battery charge in camp keeping my fridge and certain lights running; charging computer, camera, audio recording and drone gear, etc. If you're just an occasional off-roader hanging on trails near civilization, then I would put a dual-battery kit very low on the priority list--if on it at all.

Video of that bad battery situation, if interested. Part 8 about the trip. Skip to 11:14 if not forwarded automatically. And the show continues on the part 9 in the series ...